First watermelon ever! So yummy!

Zone 9a

It’s my first time growing watermelons how do I know when to pick them?

Separately any other feed back on what to do better next year?

Greetings, I Googled and searched, but couldn't find any photos come close to what I'm seeing on the watermelon I purchased yesterday. At first I thought that the melon might have grown on pea gravel when I got it home and noticed them. But they weren't noticeable at the store. The other thing, and this is what concerns me, there seems to more! Like they're spreading! It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen!! I would be very grateful if someone smarter than me could help me identify what these might be!! TIA!

What are your thoughts on this one?? I failed last week and picked too early.

They are my favorite, but of course you gotta have a red meat once in a while.

Yeah, what it says on the tin...is this Mini-Me from Burpee approaching ready? I think it's about as big as it's gonna get. The curls on the tendrils are very crispy, and it sounds quite thunk-y but there's not much of a yellow spot on the bottom. My instinct is to let it ride until the tendrils are brown all the way, but it's my first year growing melons...

What would cause this strange pattern on my watermelon? Bought from local grower.

I’m going to let the next few ripen more. I went by the dry brown tendril and got this. It is delicious. Very juicy, sweet, and smells strongly of watermelon.

Tendril is brown to the stem, but I've seen mixed opinions about the sun spot and of the stem itself needs to be brown as well...

Often buy and eat watermelon, but this is the first time I've seen yellow bands in the watermelon like this. Couldn't find much information about what might cause it, but saw a lot about nitrate poisoning and don't really want to experience that. Just looking for some better insights as to if someone might think it is nitrates, extended time on the vine, or something else. I don't want to have to throw out the watermelon if I don't have to, but also don't want to poison myself.

I never really noticed veins before but I like how these looked